SCHOONEJONGEN: Keep beachfront towns fun and affordable

As New Jersey takes its first tentative steps toward rebuilding its battered coastline, there will be calls from many different corners to make it better.

The note of caution that must be sounded, however, is that we first define what "better" means.

Does "better" mean that we build houses and businesses more able to withstand punishing winds and storm surges? Does "better" mean that we back off home-building within a stone's throw of the ocean? Does "better" mean abandoning what some folks think of as eyesores but others think of as indispensable to our Shore culture?

Even before superstorm Sandy forced our hand and made this discussion a must-have, the debate along the coast from Cape May to Sandy Hook has been going on for years.

"We'll rebuild it. No question in my mind we'll rebuild it," Gov. Chris Christie said of the devastated Shore just days after Sandy hit. "But for those of us who are my age, it won't be the same."

Newsflash for the governor: For folks our age, it hasn't been the same for years. My own Shore experience, for example, sheds light on this truth. The small beachfront amusement park in Sea Isle City? Gone. The beachfront arcade and neighboring pizza parlor in the same town? Gone.

These places and others I remember with great fondness were not victims of Sandy or any other storm. They gave way to the push for beachfront housing. In their place now stand condos.

Enough of the old Shore has gone and been replaced by upscale developments that some worry.

"We don't want to homogenize the Shore," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Tittel, of course, is correct. Part of the charm of the Jersey Shore is in its accessibility. The honky-tonk - the sounds that Bruce Springsteen so eerily captured in "Greetings from Asbury Park" - is what makes it memorable. All those sights and sounds of the boardwalk and arcades, the spinning rides and hawkers tempting you with the latest stuffed animal, are what fill a child's head.

The Shore, said Kimberle Rolle Samarelli, "is where the amusement business was founded," and the state cannot afford, either culturally or economically, for it not to return.

The tourism industry, bolstered heavily by amusements, is a huge piece of New Jersey's economy, but "it's a part of family heritage and history," said Samarelli, executive director of the New Jersey Amusement Association.

Turn the Shore into a place with nothing but upscale eateries and condos, and you might as well vacation in South Beach.

This is, in part, where Christie's Jersey cred can come into play. While many rebuilding decisions will be made on the local level, the bully pulpit the governor commands can help to steer the debate toward a sensible coexistence of the upscale, the affordable and the memorable.

The state needs a statement of principles to help guide reconstruction, and several goals must be incorporated.

Durability. Whatever is rebuilt must be rebuilt well enough to withstand a significant storm. This may not be possible with all structures. Boardwalks will probably always be vulnerable, unless towns move toward promenades. But with homes, building them higher and to stricter codes may help minimize future damage. This will be more expensive, but in the end it may spare us from Sandy-like devastation in the future.

Familiarity. Wherever possible and feasible, the Shore must see some of its landmarks return. Amusement piers in Seaside, fast-food joints and games of chance must be given first dibs to inhabit any rebuilt boardwalk real estate.

Affordability. This goal goes hand in hand with familiarity. If the things we know disappear, there are chances they will be replaced by attractions most citizens who come to the Shore can't afford. And while we're on the lookout for price-gouging among contractors, towing companies and gas stations, let's not let towns off the hook when establishing beach fees this year. Massive spikes in cost should not be tolerated.

An encouraging sign, Samarelli said, is the optimism of her association's members. She just finished a trip to Orlando, Fla., for the international amusement industry convention. New Jersey members, despite the devastation, were there in force. The NJAA also has adopted a motto: "Restore, Rebuild, Reopen."

If they do, it truly will be a better Shore.

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SCHOONEJONGEN: Keep beachfront towns fun and affordable

As New Jersey takes its first tentative steps toward rebuilding its battered coastline, there will be calls from many different corners to make it better. The note of caution that must be sounded,

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